Oh Sister Mine
by Wrath Demon
Summary: Pietro Maximoff contemplates what he's become, and how it's effecting the only person in the world that still matters to him...[sister-story to Oh Brother Mine] COMPLETE
1. Of Night Time and Guardian Angels

AN: Here it is! The eagerly awaited sister-story to my previous fic, _Oh Brother Mine. Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men Evolution or any of it's characters. The following story is mine though, and I will not hesitate to sue your ass if you try and plagiarize it. Have a nice day. :)__

_Oh Sister Mine_

            Pietro Maximoff lay awake on his bed, staring up at the ceiling at around 2 AM, long after the rest of the Brother Hood had gone to sleep. They were told that they needed their rest for tomorrow, the day they had to join the X-Men to fight Magneto.

            Pietro was in his room, or rather, the room he and Lance had to share. The moonlight reflected off his silvery-white hair, casting a sort of halo around him, like an angel. Pietro snorted at the thought. An angel, yeah right. He was anything but, even though he would never admit that he was less than perfect to anyone. Pietro let his musings carry him away to another memory, long ago, even though reminiscing wasn't something he let himself do very often...

_          A nine year old Pietro woke up suddenly, only to find himself staring into a pair of light blue eyes, identical to his own._

_          "What?" Pietro asked his twin sister, Wanda, a little groggy. "Is it time to get up?" he asked, knowing it couldn't be, because he saw moonlight streaming through the window. He wasn't surprised that Wanda was up so late. His beloved twin had always been fascinated by night-time. The moon, the stars, the darkness, or something, caught her attention. Pietro was the complete opposite, preferring day over night._

_          "No," Wanda replied, still looking at her brother in an odd way. "It's still night."_

_          "Whatchya looking at me like that for?" Pietro asked as he sat up, a little whiny, as he didn't like being woken up._

            _"I always look at you when you sleep," Wanda said, sounding a little surprised that he didn't know._

_          "How come?"_

_          "Because," Wanda started to grin, "you look just like an Angel when you sleep."_

_          "I do not!" Pietro said in indignation, now fully awake. You couldn't really blame him. After all, what rambunctious, naughty, 9-year-old wants to be told that he's an angel?_

_          "Yes, you do." Wanda said firmly. "You look just like a Guardian Angel, especially with the moonlight and stuff, except that you're little. Remember, it's just like in the book Mama used to read to us."_

_          "Oh, yeah. I remember that book. It was our bed-time book. But that's silly; Angels aren't real; everybody knows that."_

_          "They could too be real!" Wanda said, a little hurt. "Mama used to tell us about them all the time."_

_          "Well, yeah, but that was just a story," Pietro said, fidgeting a little uncomfortably. He didn't like talking about Mama anymore, not since she had died almost 2 years ago. It was too sad to think about, and sometimes it even made him cry. Big boys weren't supposed to cry. "Besides, I can't be a Guardian Angel! I'm too young, and they're supposed to protect people and stuff. I don't do that."_

_          "I never said you were an angel, I just said you looked like one." Wanda replied, slightly exasperated._

_          "Oh."_

_          "But what if you really were an angel?" she asked after some time._

_          "That would be kinda cool, I guess. I mean, I would be able to fly and stuff, right?" Pietro said, willing to give the idea some thought, if his sister was so keen on it._

_          "Right!" Wanda said, excited with their game._

_          "But who would I protect?"_

_          "Um, uh, I know! How about me?" Wanda suggested. "It would work 'cause we're twins, right? And twins are supposed to be able to do stuff like that."_

_          "But you don't need protecting! You're the one who always wins in fights and stuff," Pietro said, sounding resentful._

_          "Oh yeah," Wanda said thoughtfully._

_          The two sat in silence for awhile, looking at the moon. Then Pietro glanced at his sister, and saw that she was a little sad. She was probably thinking about Mama. Pietro didn't like to see Wanda unhappy, because it made him sad too._

_          "Well, I guess I could be your guardian angel, I mean, if I were an angel. 'Cause we are twins, and we're supposed to protect each other and stuff, right? Besides, I am the big brother." Pietro said, looking at his sister's face carefully. Wanda always resented the fact that he was older, and Pietro resented the fact that people always assumed she was older, and the two fought about it often, as ridiculous as they both knew it was. (Pietro was the elder of the two by about 3 minutes, even though Wanda always seemed like the more responsible and calm twin.)_

_           However, Wanda's face lit up at his words. "Really? You can be my Angel?"_

_          "Sure," Pietro said._

_          Wanda squealed and started bouncing on the bed, almost falling on Pietro. "Cool! I got my own Guardian Angel, and he gets to be my brother too! Thanks Pie!" She said, hugging him._

_          "Aww, Wanda!" Pietro protested in a long-suffering voice. "You're squishing me! And don't call me Pie!"_

_          "Sorry Pie," Wanda giggled and got off her brother, still grinning at him happily, even though he seemed slightly peeved of her continuous usage of his embarrassing childhood nickname._

_          "S' okay," Pietro said, starting to smile at the huge grin on Wanda's face. It was contagious. Pretty soon, both of them were giggling madly and rolling around on the bed, unable to control themselves. It had been a long time since they had laughed like this; at least not since they came to live with their father about a year ago. Right then however, under the silver moon, Pietro and Wanda were able to simply be happy without fear; content, as always, that they at least had each other, and they knew that as long as they did everything would be all right._

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AN: Aww, I'm such a sucker for these flash-back things with the twins. Sorry the chapter's so short; it's really kind of an intro to the whole thing. So, review and tell me how you liked it!


	2. Of Regrets and Reflection

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men Evolution or any of its characters.

     Pietro shook his head angrily, trying to get rid of the memory and the unwanted thoughts that came after it. Some guardian angel he had turned out to be. Barely a few weeks after that night, Wanda had been taken away to the asylum, and he had never seen her again, until now that is.

     Pietro became sad as he thought of his twin as she was now. She was sleeping just two rooms down. Wanda slept a lot these days. She had been asleep all afternoon, in fact. After grueling training sessions, it was understandable. Besides, it was the first time she saw the outside world in about 6 years spent in an asylum. That definitely took some getting used to.

     Technically, Wanda had never been a happy-go-lucky, carefree child. The asylum wasn't solely responsible for turning Wanda into what she was now, even though the most gentle and loving child could get turned into a monster after being in that place. Even as a little girl, Wanda had always been somewhat serious and dark, and much less chirpy than her brother.

     She was quiet around strangers, though usually polite, and had a nasty temper even then. After their parents (Marya and Django Maximoff) were murdered, the only person Wanda would show any type of open affection to was her brother, although she was just as quick to beat him up as she was to give him a hug.

     Nevertheless, the sister Pietro had known; the sweet, smiling, trusting little girl who shared her brother's wild streak and his love was gone, and probably forever. She was replaced by a hurt, angry, very powerful, and slightly homicidal young woman, who, ironically, was still as lovely as the little girl had been. A teenager who would be perfectly willing to come and murder her twin brother on the spot. Pietro shuddered slightly as he remembered Wanda on that night, over 3 weeks ago, when she had first arrived and almost succeeded in killing him, (she had tried to impale him with a ski that someone found in the attic).

     He had been enraged at the attempted murder, and more than a little scared. Pietro hated to be afraid of anything, and he wasn't really, but it _was mainly out of fear that he had snapped at Mystique, asking her why the hell she had brought Wanda here, when she knew that she was a powerful, uncontrollable maniac who was capable of murdering him._

     In actuality, after his body stopped pumping the adrenaline in super speed because of the attack and after Wanda was a bit calmer, he had rejoiced inwardly. A sort of childish glee had spread through him, and he felt lighter and more complete than he had in years. His twin was back! Wanda was home and they were together again! Yeah! His wish had been granted!

     Of course, that lasted for about 2 seconds before Pietro slammed back to earth and remembered that his beloved twin was harboring enough rage and hatred towards him that she had tried to kill him the moment she set eyes on him. The only reason that he, the house, and the rest of the Brotherhood were still intact was because of that creepy old witch lady, Agatha Harkness or something.

     Pietro sighed slightly. It was like trying to walk on eggshells when he was within a ten foot radius of his sister. He still loved her so much it hurt, especially since he was seeing her after so long. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Not as if anything could make him like her any less.

     Sometimes, he would sneak into her room at night just to look at her and make sure she was still there, standing guard like a silent sentinel. He was always ready to leave in the blink of an eye however, in case she woke up. That was never necessary though, because Wanda had a tendency to sleep like the dead. 

     It had broken his heart once (and he didn't think that was possible for someone like him anymore), when he made one of his nightly excursions to her room, to see her in the throws of a nightmare. It was obvious, if just from what he heard her say in her sleep that night, that life at the asylum had been no cake walk. It sounded worse than his life had been. Probably was. Pietro had wanted nothing more than to go hold her that night; to try to comfort her in any way possible or at the very least wake her up.

     The fits had gotten so bad that things in the room had started flying, and a lamp had come and hit him smack dab in the head, giving him a livid, purple bruise for two days afterward. He explained it away by saying that he didn't pay attention while running that day and had hit a pole. He didn't know if the guys bought it though.

     After dodging a few more pieces of furniture, Pietro had gone straight to his sister and gently laid his hand on her, smoothing her hair away from her sweaty forehead. She was going to hurt herself if she kept dreaming like this. The action almost seemed to calm her down slightly, but when Pietro removed his hand for a second, Wanda shuddered and let out a shrill scream, still in the throws of a nightmare. 

     That, and the banging of the flying objects in the room was enough to wake most of the household. Pietro managed to hoist himself out the window right before Mystique barreled into the room, closely followed by Agatha. They apparently woke Wanda up and calmed her down, because the banging stopped and she looked relatively fine the next morning.

     Pietro completely forgave Wanda for trying to kill him. The fact that he deserved her contempt, however, didn't do anything for his peace of mind. He tried to make peace with her soon after she arrived. Unfortunately, his normally smooth words and the suave charm he exuded so easily in front of other people didn't come when dealing with his own twin. They wouldn't have worked on her either. She could always see through him in a way that was almost frightening in its accuracy. Pietro completely botched it up, and Wanda had stormed off after calling him a monster who was just like the only person she hated more than him; their father.

     A monster. Right. That suited him pretty well, Pietro thought. If not now, it would after tomorrow, after he betrayed the few people in the world who he had oddly enough come to think of as family, and who even more oddly enough come to accept him as a brother, although he didn't know what he ever did to deserve that kind of acceptance. And, Pietro thought, his stomach sinking, he would be betraying Wanda, again.

     The young speedster couldn't take this anymore and got up and started walking out of the room, pausing in front of the mirror. He looked in and sneered in disgust at the coward who looked back out at him. A coward who would do almost any damn thing in the world to please his bastard of a Father who treated him with nothing but abuse and cold contempt. It would serve him right if Wanda killed him [Pietro] tomorrow. He wouldn't complain, and he definitely wouldn't fight back. 

     How had he turned out like this? It was just wrong, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Didn't know if he _wanted to do anything about it._

     He needed a run. A long one. The young mutant known as Quicksilver zoomed out of the house in less than a second. It was raining outside. Perfect. A long, cold run. Maybe that would help.

AN: You like? I know it ended kind of abruptly, but that couldn't be helped. I was looking over the whole story and was wondering where to cut it, and this place seemed as good as any. I think this chapter is slightly larger than my other ones. R&R.

Psychobunny410: Hey, got your review for my other story too, thanks!

SkyDancerHawk: As you wish…

Mrs. Jean Grey-Summers: Not my best, but still worth the read? Hmm, I think I'll take that as a complement to my writing in general.

Storm-Pietro: They are sweet, aren't they?

nessie6 & DranzerGirl: Thanks for the reviews, both of you!

Silver Hanyou1: ~sighs~ Yeah, having a twin bro would definitely be cool.

ToiletDuck85: Ditto.


	3. Of Confusion and Pixie Stix

Disclaimer: I DON'T own X-Men Evolution or Pixie Stix, so stay away you blood-sucking fiends!!! ~Holds up a can of lawyer repellent~ I ain't afraid to use this!

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."

                          -William Congreve

Wanda Maximoff woke up with a start and looked around wildly. Glass shattered as she did so and she whipped her head around to locate her now broken mirror. Damn, it was the 4th one this week! Glass just wasn't safe around her. She was much more in control of her powers now than she ever imagined she could be, but they still got away from her sometimes. Like just then.

Wanda shook her head and tried to remember what had wakened her. It was probably some disturbed dream as always, but she couldn't remember what. She glanced at her watch. It was almost 5 AM. Great. No use getting back to sleep, not that she could or wanted to. She had been asleep for almost 15 hours now, thanks to an extremely stressful training session with that wacky witch woman. It had been a productive session though, and would be very useful for tomorrow's, (or rather today's, considering the time), battle.

Wanda got up and stretched, then went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. Her face had been covered in sweat when she awoke, which was enough to tell her that her dream had been a nightmare. At least it wasn't as bad as the one she had a few weeks ago, when she totaled her room.

Suddenly ravenous, Wanda trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. She remembered having a very small lunch the previous day, and she had slept through dinner. Sugar, she needed sugar. Wanda had a sweet tooth big enough to rival her brother's. She raided the cupboards, which unfortunately were filled with 'disgusting' health food. They had been ever since Mystique came back with Agatha and herself. The boys hadn't complained much since they hadn't had a full meal in quite a while since Mystique left. They were just grateful to have food, any kind of food, but Wanda on the other hand had enough horrible 'healthy' food at the asylum to last a life time. They didn't exactly stock cakes and stuff there.

Oooh, cookies! Yum. Oh wait, they're fat-free, yuck. Wanda thought, wrinkling her nose. Surprisingly, the serious, destruction-bent Scarlet Witch everyone saw still had a mind that worked a lot like her brother's at times. Like when she was searching for food in the middle of the night and no one was around to see. Hey, she couldn't be morbid all the time, right?

Oh well, cookies are cookies, after all. Maybe they taste good anyway. With that, Wanda plopped down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table and ripped open the doomed packet of cookies, shoving two into her mouth. She sat for a while, munching thoughtfully. They weren't half bad. She supposed she could always go and raid Pietro's secret stash of junk food if she felt like it. Wanda grinned at the thought.

The Scarlet Witch had observed her brother quite a lot during the past two weeks, completely unknown to him or anyone else. She found (to her infinite surprise), that even though he was an arrogant bastard who deserved to die a very painful death for what he did to her, it became harder and harder every day to summon the hate she thought she still had for him. She did hate him, right? After all, he betrayed her, broke promises, and even had the nerve to defend the crummy piece of shit they called Father. 

Even as all this ran through her mind, however, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her stomach every time she saw him, so much like she remembered him as a child. He had the same laugh, the same mischievous look in his eyes, and the same arrogance in his every step; yet, he had changed too. His formally cute childish features had turned into a strange sort of masculine beauty, which still showed a hint of his boyish charm. [AN: Sorry, couldn't help myself. It's the whole Pietro-obsession thing.] He was handsome; there was no doubt about that. He was a perfect mix of his mother and father.

Yet the physical change wasn't what stood out most to Wanda. Pietro had grown up, a lot more than he should have in just 6 years. It was obvious his life hadn't been easy either, but he deserved that, didn't he? Wanda just didn't know anymore. She missed him, she had figured out that much. That's what that pang in her stomach was every time she saw him. She missed her twin more than anyone could know.

She remembered, in those first few months in the asylum, when she'd stay up crying all night, not for her Father, but for Pietro. For her brother. He was the one she missed; the one she longed for. After about a year or so of cold solitude and imprisonment however, all the excuses she made on his behalf as to why he didn't help her or come to rescue her became redundant and nothing but excuses. They weren't true. She had started to hate him too, just like she hated her father, and that hate festered and drove her on throughout the years. It was very hard to let go of and so, so, easy to slip into.

Wanda didn't know how to forgive, even if she wanted to. She probably couldn't now, anyway. If Pietro didn't secretly hate her before she was sent away, he undoubtedly did now, after she tried to kill him that first day. Who wouldn't? She pushed him away later on too, when he tried to talk to her. She couldn't help it. The pain and rage were still so raw. All she knew was, she missed her twin. She didn't know why, but she did. She was horribly confused about the whole thing.

A few weeks ago, when she just started to get control over her powers, she decided to test them out one night. She wanted to go see her brother, while he was asleep. That was one thing she remembered clearly from her childhood. Watching her brother sleep, bathed in the moonlight. It had always instilled a sort of peace in her, and she had the mad urge to go do it again. She knew it was crazy. How could she miss him and want to look at him, while being mad enough to kill him at the same time? If her mind wasn't already so messed up, it would have torn in two.

Anyway, she did sneak into her brother's room one night. Wanda used her powers to keep Pietro and his room-mate, Lance, asleep. She had to, because her brother was the lightest sleeper in the world; at least, he was when they were younger, and she doubt that had changed. It wasn't his fault. Even when asleep, Pietro's mind worked at least 3 times the normal speed. It was part of his mutation, so he was incredible jumpy even when he was sleeping.

After making sure the two boys were in dreamland, Wanda pulled up a chair next to her brother's bed and sat on it. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him. The moonlight streaming through the window fell on him directly, giving him an ethereal glow. He was just so beautiful, even more so than when he was a child.

Wanda unknowingly reached out and managed to stop her hand just before it touched him. A look of utter longing appeared on her face. She was looking at Pietro. Not Pietro, the horrible traitor who'd helped abandon her years back, but Pietro, her Pietro. Her beautiful, loving, perfect brother, whom she would do anything for.

It really was too much for her. Wanda just didn't know what to feel any more. As much as she was ashamed to admit it, what she wanted most in the world was for Pietro to take her in his arms and hug her and tell her that everything was all right and that he was there and that they would always be together from now on. Just like old times. They would get through their horrid past and go on to the future together. He could take her and they could run away together, never to be bothered by these people again.

But then again, that Pietro didn't exist anymore, did he? This was just some deluded fantasy of hers. She'd had a lot of those at the asylum, when she was so pumped up on meds that she couldn't even tell whether her hand was her own anymore. Fact was, the brother she knew was gone, pure and simple. He had turned into a copy of that monster who had left her to rot in hell. She was supposed to despise him, right? 

Wanda sighed and looked at the sleeping angel in front of her again. Maybe, since he was asleep, just this once, she could pretend that this was the same Pietro she had once loved so much. That by some miracle he hadn't turned all evil, and maybe he still cared about her and still wanted to be her brother.

This time, unable to help herself, Wanda reached out and tucked one of Pietro's unruly bangs behind his ear, smiling slightly. But she was becoming tired. It had been a long day, and she couldn't force these two to sleep much longer. She was new at this.

Wanda knelt down by the bed. She took one of Pietro's alabaster hands in hers, examining the long, finely shaped fingers. Then, she bent over and gently kissed her twin on the lips; a goodnight kiss, just like she used to give him once upon a time. Her heart skipped a few beats. Suddenly, Pietro murmured something and tightened a grip on her hand.

"Wanda..."

Wanda froze in shock, and then relaxed a little when she realized Pietro was still asleep. So the spell worked. Good. She didn't know what she would do if Pietro were to wake up just then. Then she realized what he had called out. Her name. Wanda straightened up, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. There was an odd sensation at the base of her throat.

She swallowed and turned around to get out of there before she lost it completely, but stopped at the site of Pietro's jacket slung over his chair. Something about that nagged at her memory. Of course! Pixie stix. Wanda took the jacket and rummaged through it. She turned the collar inside out and pulled it, having it open up to reveal a hidden pocket. She almost burst out laughing as she reached inside and pulled out a few packets of Pixie Stix. Geez, some things never changed.

As kids, the twins weren't allowed many sweets. It was understandable; a sober Pietro was bad enough, get him on a sugar-high and it was just asking for trouble. For that reason, Wanda and Pietro used to invent hiding places for candy when they were younger. Pietro could sew, so it was easy to make them. The jacket collar thing had actually been Wanda's idea. Pietro was the one who decided that it should be used to hide Pixie Stix, which was the fastest way to get high on sugar. Pietro used to need sugar just as much as he needed air or water. Maybe more. He could get pretty scary when he was on a sugar high however, which is why he was never allowed to have too much. Not that it had ever stopped him.

Snatching a few Pixie Stix, Wanda replaced the jacket exactly where it was and sneaked out of the room. She refrained herself from looking at other possible hiding places for candy, at least for the moment. Shutting the door, she lifted her spell and let the boys fall back into a normal sleep. After that however, she never made any more night time visits to see her brother.

  

AN: All right! I finally got off my ass and updated this thing. I won't bother with excuses, but I'm incredibly sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I like the way it turned out though. 

            Anyway, I just saw Pirates of the Caribbean today. Is it just me, or was that movie totally awesome? Johnny Depp really outdid himself this time.


	4. Reviews

AN: Hey guys. Sorry, this isn't another chapter. I just wanted to put up my replies to your reviews on Chapter 2. Thanks, and keep 'em coming!

Psychobunny410: I think this one's even longer. Hope it makes up for the late update.

Scarlet Dawn: Yeah, that episode is actually called Sins of the Father. I had such hopes for that one. I didn't get to see it, but I found out that it had _nothing to do with Pie or Wanda. :( I think we have to wait for Season 5 for her to get her memory back._

K.C.2007: Thank you!

roguehobbit: Ah, yes, forgiveness. There's never enough of that to go around, it seems.

Storm-Pietro: Glad you still like it!

Incrediblecuznz: Thanks a bunch for the feedback, but as you can see, it's not over yet! Hope you still like it as it continues.

ToiletDuck85: Yeah, poor Pie. I think he needs a hug…~grins~


	5. Bad Igor!

AN: Hey everybody! A thousand apologies, but this isn't an update either. But before you start throwing things at me, hear me out, please? I have a good excuse, kind of. You see, my muse, (assuming that I had one to begin with), has run away. I believe it managed to escape by distracting Igor (the little man in my basement who guards it) with chocolate Bonn-Bonn's. ~Shakes head ruefully~ I'm afraid Igor has a weakness for them. I'm trying to convince him to go get therapy, but does he ever listen? Noooo.

            But anyway, that's all beside the point, because I have managed to secure a Muse-Catching device! Behold! ~holds it up proudly~ and I made it all by myself, too. ~ignores a tied-up Forge trying to break out of the closet~ yup, yup, all by myself. With this baby I should get my muse back in no time.

Anyways, just wanted to tell you that I wasn't abandoning this fic, and muse or no muse I'll get an update posted…eventually. Right. ~Wanders off aimlessly~

Forge(from inside a closet) :Wrath? Wrath! Come back here with by bionic arm! I'm not kidding! I- ~notices a creepy-looking hunchback shuffling around~

Igor: _Igor hungry…_

Forge: Heh, heh, nice little man. ~backs away slowly~ Uh, help?


	6. Of Epiphanies and Peace

DISCLAIMER: I don't own X-Men Evolution.

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            Wanda Maximoff leaned against the kitchen counter, a can of Pepsi in her hand. She had finished the cookies, a double pack of Strawberry Poptarts, and had some chocolate pudding. Her sugar craving partially sated, she decided to wash the whole thing down with soda.

            Suddenly, BAM!!! The front door slammed open. Wanda choked slightly and tossed her can away. She could hear the rain slamming outside. Intruders? In this house? Bringing her wards up, Wanda stealthily made her way out of the kitchen. It was the middle of the night! Right before she came in sight of the front door, Wanda almost pitied the thieves who'd dare to come and rob this house, especially in the pouring rain.

            Bringing her hands out, Wanda was about to blast the unwelcome guests into oblivion, but stopped herself just in time. Standing just inside the front door, dripping rain water all over the floor, was a very wet, bedraggled, and tired looking Pietro.

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            Pietro Maximoff had just finished doing what he did best; he ran. He ran for hours in the pouring rain, hardly getting wet at first. It was a game, who was faster, the rain or him? Turns out he was. But after a while, Pietro realized he wanted to get wet. He was cold on the inside, wasn't he? Well, now he would get cold on the outside too, get cold everywhere, until his body became frozen just like his soul was. Then he realized that, frozen or not, he was expected by a lot of people to be up and ready to fight tomorrow. Damn. So Pietro had run back home at around 5 AM, when it was still extremely dark because of the weather. About a block from home, he changed his mind and started to walk again, wanting to get wet for as long as he could. It was stupid, true, but since there was a good chance he would die tomorrow, he doubt it mattered whether or not he caught Pneumonia.

            Pietro reached the driveway and paused to look up at the manor. In the rain and in the middle of the night, the place looked almost creepy, yet it felt so much like home. Would he really have to hurt everyone inside there, in just a few short hours?

            Pietro opened the door a little forcefully, and it banged against the wall. He winced, hoping it didn't wake anybody up. He shut it and was about to make a run for his room when he saw something, or rather some_one_ in the entrance to the hallway that made him freeze in his tracks.

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            "Wanda?!" 

            "Pietro?!"

            Both twins had voiced the other's name in shock at the exact same time. Pietro saw that Wanda had her hands half way up, a fading blue aura around them, and realized that she had been about to hurl a hex at him. Good thing she stopped herself.

            "What are you doing?" Both of them asked in unison. They stopped for a moment, startled, then both said again,

            "I asked you first." Damn, this was weird. They both shut up for a while, and just looked at each other.

            Then Wanda walked up to her brother and hesitantly touched his arm. 

            "You're freezing," she said softly.

            "I'm okay," Pietro said, shivering all the while.

            Wanda shook her head. "No, come on; we need to get you dry." Then she took Pietro by the arm and steered him upstairs.

            Normally, Pietro would have protested, shaking free and running off again. This time, however, the normally smooth Speedster gaped at his twin in astonishment and followed her blindly, wondering who this person was and what she had done with his sister.

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            Wanda dragged her brother upstairs almost mechanically. A small voice in the back of her head was screaming at her. What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're supposed to be wanting to kill this guy, not worrying if he's going to catch a cold because he's soaked with rain!

            Wanda ignored herself and continued. In truth, she didn't know why she was doing this. From the corner of her eye, she could see Pietro staring at her in disbelief. So he didn't get it either; good. 

            On the last step, Pietro stumbled slightly, and this in itself was enough to show her how exhausted he was. Pietro, however, straightened up quickly and tried to pull away from her, muttering some excuse. Wanda frowned at him. He should never have gotten in such a state. What was he doing outside at this hour anyway?

            They reached her bedroom and she paused, uncertain. Then she shook her head slightly and opened her door, pushing Pietro inside.

               Pietro looked at her, even more surprised. "Wa-Wanda," he chattered, starting to protest.

               "Hush," she said, stepping out. She came back a minute later with a few towels and one of Pietro's pajama bottoms. All he was wearing now was a pair of boxers and a tee-shirt, which was what he slept in. Both articles of clothing, however, were completely soaked.

               "Change," she commanded again, turning to go out of the room. Pietro stared at her, still slightly in shock, but then stripped, dried himself, and put the pants on, the whole operation taking less than a minute.

               He sneezed despite himself, and Wanda came back just then with some sugar candy. She looked at her twin and frowned.

               "Sit down," she commanded, pointing to her bed. "You look exhausted."

               Pietro walked over to the bed, avoiding the broken glass, and sat down numbly, shivering again. He was still slightly out of it, not believing that his sister was actually trying to take care of him, and he _was_ extremely tired.

               Wanda handed Pietro the candy. Whenever he did something stupid and exhausted himself like this, Wanda knew that he needed sugar in his body right away, or he would most likely collapse. His metabolism was like that.

               Wanda took one of the towels and started drying her brother's hair as he started munching on the candy. She sat down close to him, frowning more than ever. He was still shirtless, and when she touched him she could tell that the idiot was absolutely freezing.

               Wanda took the towel and started rubbing his arms and chest, trying to work heat into his body.

               "God, Pietro, you're freezing! Why'd you go out in the rain like that you idiot? You'll catch Pneumonia or something!" Wanda looked up from her admonishing for a moment and froze as she found Pietro staring at her, his intense blue eyes locked directly onto hers. Her twin, never tearing his gaze away, put one of his hands gently on her face and caressed her cheek almost reverently with his thumb.

               Something, almost like electricity, sparked in the small distance between the two. It was as if that mysterious 'connection' that people whose souls are one are supposed to have suddenly came into being for the two of them, in full force, after about 6 long years of laying dormant. Both gasped as they felt it; it was almost too much, but their gazes never shifted.

               The two stayed just like that, holding each other in their own way, for a long time; hours, minutes, neither knew, and neither cared. They couldn't have moved if they wanted to

               Both were staring each other straight in the eyes, looking into the same pits of sorrow, loneliness, and hurt despair they saw every time they looked into a mirror. No words needed to be said, and with the bond that had recently showed itself again, they both started to understand, all the while trying desperately to find the heart both thought they'd lost forever.

               Simultaneously the twins sagged slightly. They felt each other's exhaustion. This was simply too much, too fast. At the same time, at some unspoken agreement, both of them broke eye contact, and ended up panting, as though they had just participated in a strenuous physical activity. Yet the bond or whatever it was that revealed themselves to each other stayed, and it wasn't going to go away again that easily, for neither was willing to let it.

               Pietro's eyelids drooped. He really was exhausted; the candy only kept him from collapsing on the spot. Wanda saw this, and gently pushed her brother back on the bed, and pulled the sheet over him. She went to her closet and came back with an extra, heavy-duty woolen blanket to drape over him, for he was still obviously very cold.

               Sitting on the edge of her bed, she tucked Pietro in warmly with an almost motherly concern. His eyes were now completely closed, and his breathing even. It seemed he had gone to sleep already. Wanda started to get up from the bed but stopped in surprise as one of Pietro's cold hands grabbed hers suddenly. She came closer again and saw his eyes open, looking feverish. 

               "I'm sorry, Wanda! I didn't mean it! He said-"

               "Shhh," Wanda said gently. "I know, Pie, it's okay. I know..."

               Pietro shook his head wildly, starting to chatter again. "No, but I didn't want to! I-"

               "Pietro!" Wanda said sharply, cutting him off again. It was no use getting him excited now; they could sort this out later. "It's okay now. I'm fine! Relax, Pie, please? For me..." she said, smoothing his hair back gently, trying to calm him down.

               It seemed to work; either that or exhaustion over took him completely, because Pietro shut his eyes and tried to sleep again. After about a minute though, Pietro shifted slightly, and still half-asleep, he said quietly, "Thank you Wandi."

            The use of her childhood name after so long, on top of everything else, was almost enough to break Wanda down completely. Almost. She paused for a few moments, waiting for Pietro to fall sleep. Then, when it seemed the coast was clear, Wanda bent down and kissed Pietro gently on the forehead. "You're welcome, Pie-Pie," she said softly, knowing he couldn't hear it. She turned and left the room almost immediately, so she didn't see the smile that appeared on her brother's face.

            Wanda was smart enough to know that nothing was actually resolved yet. The hurt they both had suffered was too great to be resolved in a few minutes of emotional exhaustion. There was also no telling what would happen in the battle tomorrow. Yet, that was all okay, because this was a start. For the first time in ages, Wanda felt almost complete. Her other half was back, not entirely, but back all the same. Pietro was her brother again, and for all she was concerned, at that moment, things were finally right with the world.

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_Fini_

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AN: Ta da! Told ya I'd update this. Sure, it took forever, (sorry about that), but I have reasons, none of which you want to hear I'm sure. 

            Now, I know the last paragraph was kind of crappy; I added it simply for some closure, because I'm pretty sure this is going to be the end. This was a kind of good at the beginning, great in the middle, yet over-stretched at the end kind of fic. It's not much of an ending, but there simply isn't anything more to it. I never had a plot in mind while writing this, and to add one in now would just be forcing out the words instead of letting them flow, and that never turns out well. Sorry, that didn't make much sense; I just think my efforts would be better spent on some of my other writing, that's all.

            _I offer my sincerest apologies to those of you who wanted more out of this fic, and my sincerest thanks to all of you who read, enjoyed, and of course, reviewed, my work. It's been a pleasure._


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